


Not Like I Care

by ChangeForTheBetter



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 15:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7940170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangeForTheBetter/pseuds/ChangeForTheBetter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Simon gets sexiled and seeks refuge in Raphael's room.<br/>(Again.)</p>
<p>But maybe Raphael doesn't mind so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Like I Care

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the 2016 Shadowhunters Summertime Fest, as a backup gift.

Raphael is pouring over his study guide for the History of the Middle Ages exam when he is interrupted by a knock at the door.

The knock actually resembles something more like a person trying to play the drums on his door, so Raphael instantly knows who it is. “What do you want, Simon?” he yells, without bothering to get up from the desk.

“Hey,” he smiles with an awkward little wave as he comes into the room. “Um, would you mind if I crash here for a little while? Roommate’s having someone over again and I feel weird just wandering around the quad at this time of night…”

Raphael just hums his agreement and turns back to his papers. Simon often came over when he was kicked out of his own room, to the point that it had almost become a routine.

Simon hopped onto Raphael’s bed, sprawling out comfortably. “Thanks Raph, you’re the best! Hey are you hungry? I was thinking of ordering Chinese food. Clary and I just tried this new place down on Green Street the other day, Jade Wolf, and their dumplings are to _die_ for, I’m tellin ya-”

“No, I’m not hungry.”

“Mmm. You’re missing out. Oh, that reminds me! Did you see the new Star Wars movie yet? I know you’re not really into that stuff but this one is great and you can enjoy it without seeing the old series.”

“No, I haven’t- and would you please stop your silly chattering? I need to study.” Despite the annoyance in his tone, Simon could tell Raphael wasn’t angry so he didn’t take it to heart.

“Right, right, sorry.” Without conversation to occupy himself, Simon twiddled his thumbs and fidgeted for a while before looking around for something to do. He picked up a rounded paperweight off the night table and started tossing it above his head.

“Knock that off before you break it,” Raphael said without turning around.

The paperweight fell with a thump onto Simon’s stomach when he jolted with surprise. “Oof! I wasn’t going to break – wait, how did you even know-?”

Raphael was spared from answering when Magnus strode through the door, dressed to the nines as usual and with glitter in his hair.

“What are you doing back already?” Raphael asked. “I figured you’d be out until 2am at least.”

“Yeah, well, Camille was at the party with her tongue down the throat of whoever-the-fuck, and Ragnor wouldn’t let me drink my problems to oblivion. He disapproves of coming to class fabulously hungover.”

“At least the people around you have sense, even if you are sorely lacking.” Simon laughed at Raphael’s jibe, but he quickly stifled it when Magnus glared at the both of them.

“I’m going to shower. Good night,” he huffed with great affront, and left the room again, carrying a towel and an alarming number of bath products.

Raphael attempted to return to studying, _again_ , but mercifully Simon was quiet this time. He had picked up Raphael’s book on religious iconography to amuse himself. Finally able to focus, Raphael got very absorbed in the Germanic wars and didn’t notice how much time had passed until Magnus returned from his shower.

“Oh, I thought you would have been asleep,” he remarked as he came in the room, and drew Raphael out of his thoughts.

“No, got a lot of studying to do for tomorrow.” As he turned to address his roommate, he noticed that Simon did not have the same problem. At some point, the boy had fallen asleep on his bed, with the book still propped against his chest, teetering precariously with every breath.

With a fondly exasperated sigh, Raphael got up and removed the book before it could fall and smack Simon in the face. He removed his glasses as well and placed them folded on the night table, marveling at how different Simon looked when he was sleeping. He was so animated when awake, always expressive, that seeing his face smoothed out and calm almost seemed strange.

“Does he know you’re in love with him?” Magnus’ voice murmured coolly from behind him.

Raphael whipped around. “WHAT?” it came out a bit more like a screech than he intended. “What are you talking about? I don’t- _HIM_? No. I mean, it’s just pathetic. He’s a mess! I just help him because he’d probably end up in a ditch if I don’t. It’s not like I _care_ about him.” He found himself breathing hard at the end of this little rant, but Magnus just stared at him with eyebrows raised as if completely unimpressed.

Then Magnus’ eyes shifted to the side slightly to the side and his expression changed to something more like, ‘oops.’ In that split second, Raphael felt dread sink into his gut before Magnus said, “Good morning, Samuel.”

Raphael closed his eyes and did not turn around, cursing his very existence.

“It’s Simon. But I’m gonna go now.” His voice sounded duller than Raphael had ever heard it, and he turned to say something, to explain somehow, but came up blank as Simon simply picked up his glasses and walked out the door.

Raphael stood fixed there for several long moments wondering what terrible things he had done in a past life to deserve this situation.

“What are you doing?” came Magnus’ intrusive voice, again. Raphael sent him a look – he wanted it to be a glare but it was probably a little too despairing – to express his annoyance at Magnus for this whole evening. “Go after him!” Magnus insisted, “Go on, go! You need to fix this. Tell him the truth, you idiot!”

Right, he would fix this! Without further ado, Raphael bolted out the door and down the hallway. He took the stairs at a run, hoping he was right in assuming that Simon would have left the building.

Just as he got outside the front door, he saw the familiar form a short distance in front of him. “Simon, wait!”

“I’m just going for a walk Raphael. Don’t worry, I won’t hang around and burden you anymore,” he called into the night air without turning around.

Raphael jogged towards him, undeterred, “Just let me explain-“

“What’s there to explain? It sounded pretty clear to me. You don’t need to bother yourself with me. Believe it or not, I can take care of myself. I won’t wind up dead in a ditch, okay? So just _leave me alone_.”

“I didn’t mean any of it!” Raphael yells, finally grabbing a hold of his arm. Simon spins around, jerking away, and the intensity in his eyes makes Raphael’s heart pound from more than the running.

“Magnus was just pissing me off, okay? I – “ His mouth trips over the words, the usual panic rising up to swallow his confession. Raphael sighs and tries again, “You know I just don’t invite you in because I pity you. I’m not that nice of a person.”

“No, you’re really not.” It wasn’t quite forgiveness, but Simon had a wry smile, and Raphael felt relieved.

“Please come back? I-" he coughed awkwardly. "Iwantyoutocomeback,” Raphael held out his hand after the garbled rush of words, glaring at the ground as if it was to blame for him constantly feeling wrong-footed around this boy.

“So you do care?” Simon teased. He took Raphael’s hand tentatively in his own, and allowed himself to be pulled back into the dorm with mutterings of “It’s freezing out here and you’re not even wearing a jacket…”

 

* * *

 

When they walked back into Raphael’s room, they were still holding hands – a fact that did not go unnoticed by Magnus.

His eyes widened. “You actually told him that yo-“

“Shut _up_!” Raphael cut him off abruptly. He did not need any more meddling right now.

“You could say thank you, you know,” Magnus pouted as he went back to painting his nails.

Simon chuckled at the look on his face, “Raph, you’re gonna give yourself a migraine at this rate.”

“You’re right,” Raphael admitted with a sigh, “ _Dios_ , what a day… I’m going to bed now.”

Simon looked around a bit awkwardly at this announcement. “Hey Magnus, do you mind if I borrow your comforter to sleep on tonight?”

“I most certainly do mind! Hand-woven damask coverlets do not belong on the _floor_!”

There’s a tug on Simon’s arm, turning him back towards Raphael. “Use my bed.”

“But you need to sleep well! You’re exam is tomorrow!”

Raphael rolled his eyes, “I’m not planning to sleep on the floor – it’s big enough to share. Now lay down and shut up so I can maybe get 6 hours.”

He manhandled Simon into bed without any further objections, and settled in facing away from him. Raphael felt the tension bleed out of him slowly in the dark room, with each warm breath that brushed the back of his neck. His last thought before the abyss of sleep was, _I’ll tell him someday._


End file.
